Cat balances on power pole for three days before rescue

AMARILLO - It was a happy ending for a neighborhood pet after being stuck atop a 30 foot electric pole for almost three days.

Xcel says they don't always have the time and resources to rescue animals stuck on power poles, but after more than 36 hours of watching a kitty struggle, neighbors were glad the company made an exception.

From far away he could be mistaken for an owl. Nearby residents first spotted him late Friday night.

"It was 11 or 11:30 when we saw a pair of red eyes up on the pole. We didn't think much of. It was kind of funny we were talking about chupacabras on the way home. We were all like oh it's just a chupacabra," nearby neighbor Jeff Tucker said.

Saturday morning it was clear it was no owl or chupacabra. It was a tired, thirsty kitty.

Neighbors first called animal control but were told there was nothing they could do. The cat couldn't be coaxed down with food or water either.

Over 36 hours and several more desperate calls for help later, the cat appeared to be losing his strength.

It wasn't until he became a local celebrity on the NewsChannel 10 Facebook page, that Xcel Energy showed up to save the day.

"We don't want to make it a policy that we're in the animal rescue business, but today we made a special case for it," Xcel spokesman Wes Reeves said.

The Amarillo Fire Department told us that they are not as equipped to handle high voltage power lines as the power company as well as concerns for the safety of their firefighters.

"I'm just thankful that these guys took their time out of their day to come and rescue this cat for us," said nearby neighbor Shantha Ackors said.

Neighbors were familiar with the feline wanderer, but he didn't belong to anyone until now.

"I'm going to feed and water him and make sure that this does not happen to this guy again," Ackors said.

It's unclear how many lives the newest addition to the Ackors family has left, but the rest are bound to be happy.

When asked if she had any names in mind for her new pet, Ackors responded "I don't know, I guess I could name him Xcel!

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